why am i blogging' at you twice in one week?

why am i bloggin' at you twice in one week? well, because it's just a food kinda week and you need to know about these piping hot dinners that we are cooking up alongside that cheesy chili skillet mac so we can make your week just that much easier.

so we shouted at you that we made 15 trays of cheesy chili skillet mac for halloween and you responded with orders for 11 of them. BAM! i'd say that means you are looking for a night off from the stove tomorrow when all your princesses, zombies & football players head out the door to forage for candy. we still have a few available so email me NOW if you want some tasty treats for a few neighbors to pop over after your trick or treating has come to an end because they won't last past today. $39.95/tray for that cheesy, bubbly, delicious pile of saucy, meaty goodness in the picture above. feeds 8, not a bad deal.

but aside from that tray of decadence what else are we cooking up for you this week? um, how's about a little chicken pot pie with our famous homemade crust and the savoriest of savory beef stroganoff over buttery egg noodles? stop the madness. just STOP. IT. we will not. we can not. it's ready to be delivered to your doorstep like tonight at 5pm. can i get a WHOO!!! 

you guys managed to buy MORE food from catchy. last monday than have you since the FIRST DAY we opened!!! we sat and watched the register tally up 17 hot dinners, 25 orders of chicken fingers 56 salads (holy cripes!), a dozen and a half sandwiches and 28 quarts of soup (28!!)! it was madness! we literally did not close the register before it was ringing open one more time. so let's do it again people!! you have candy to buy, costumes to slap together and houses to clean so your neighbors can pop over for a post-candy glass of wine celebration for making it through the first of three holidays over the next 62 days. we are here for you with fresh, delicious food that will warm your insides. 

you know those days when you just think you can't do anymore? well read on, and think again. you can do anything.

you know those days when you just think you can't do anymore? well read on, and think again. you can do anything.

i ran the spartan race at citizens field in philly on saturday. 4 miles and 10+ obstacles. my husband, my two youngest and about 125 other friends and soon-to-be-friends raced up and down the stadium steps, climbed 25' ropes, carried 40# jugs of water and in general pushed our bodies to limits a mid-forties crew just shouldn't be doing on a regular basis. team papa "D" covered the stadium in royal blue and between the bad *ss spartan head bands and our matching shirts, i haven't felt that cool since i hung up my lacrosse cleats senior year at princeton.

we ran for and with our friend dan morris (that's him below) who was diagnosed with early onset parkinsons. rather than to submit to the sh*tty hand he was dealt, he has brought people together to fundraise, hell raise and generally raise our voices to find a cure. he and his wife julie are the kind of people i like to surround myself with: those who say bring it on rather than I've had enough. it was such a special moment to be a part of and i know my kids left that field thinking it's pretty fantastic that we can "do" something sometimes even when everything and everyone around may be telling you that you can't. the pictures don't hold a candle to what a cool experience it was to join together with neighbors and try and make a difference.

so, severely sidelined today because of my petulant need to try and win things and the pain that often brings, i had plenty of time to write my blog, lie on the sofa, eat loaves of pumpkin bread, and lie on the sofa some more. a part of me didn't want to crack my computer but the business lady in me needed to shout out the menu to you all. after three, count them THREE, sell-out weeks, i couldn't leave you guys in the lurch without knowing what's on the menu. you have cleaned out our takeaway case day in and day out. you have ordered more quarts of soup than you did in all three summer months combined (that's an insane amount of soup in three weeks) and you've never ordered more online from our website (www.thecatchycaterer.com - get after it people!) than this week. BOOM. check the menu and let's do it again people. 

i thought it was fall. wtf is going on here global warming??

i thought it was fall, wtf is going on here global warming? 

it was like africa hot this weekend. holy cripes, don't the weather gods know some of us 40-somethings don't do well with 90+ degree weather in late september? shazam i am ready for fall. i was just at my good friend kristen dahl's 2 year anniversary party on thursday night purchasing some of her ridiculously cute fall fashions and when you drop $$$ of fabulous pieces you want to show them off. like ASAP. i'm over these simmering heaters, i really am. 

so i have decided to just act as if. i am donning my cozy sweaters, blank jeans and booties and stocking the cafe with my new favorite cookie baker: mimi's cookies insanely cute cookies designs. we are selling bags of mini acorns, apples & sunflowers but take a freakin' look at what else this woman is capable of?!? it's insane. we will be offering her incredible cookie platters for holidays, birthday parties and anything in between. call 201.445.6400 for more information on those.

in the meantime we are back at it. after a fabulous jewish holiday which we happily took advantage of, though our heritage screams irish italian LOUD, we are relaxed and all filled up with great new ideas. me and my girls hit the city with abandon, walking the west side, soho, tribeca and more. we dropped into the san gennaro festival, the taiyaki ice cream shop with their bangin' fish shaped waffles &  every playground and walking path in between. i came home from my nyc food trek, once again, with loads of new ideas for fun twists on appetizers and dinner menus for the upcoming holiday. i would advise calling ASAP about your holiday party as we just booked our fifth christmas event on saturday morning and we only have so many staff to go around for your fine events.  

so get on the stick people! we want to cater as many of our fine patrons as possible. if we know we need to contract more staff for your events, we will. but it takes time to find good people so give us leeway by booking now. if you wait until the last minute, you will be stuck with your head in the oven during your christmas soiree rather than strutting around the room in your kickass velvety off the shoulder number. deep in the oven? or knocking back a cranberry mojito with your neighbors? i say no question. BOOK IT NOW. 

you are in the sweet spot.

it was one of those magical weeks. they don't happen often (ever) so i'm gonna just name it & bask in it for a bit if you will allow me...

you know when those stretches of time that defy description? it's not that everything is perfect or life is 100% stress free. it's not like when you've planted your ass firmly on a teak chaise lounge in the white caribbean sand and your sipping a peach margarita with your girlfriends before the concept of children ever dawned on you. no, i'm talking about mid-quagmire: mortgage. sick parent. fourteen sporting events. forgotten chromebook. another staples trip. birthday parties to plan. and you suddenly realize that despite it all, aside from the chaos and constant motion, you are in the sweet spot. yeah, that was my week. 

i think i logged more ass time last week in my suburban than i did all summer. with four kids moving in nineteen directions, new carpools, blah blah blah, most days i just stayed in the car and threw out bags of goldfish and turned up cold play on the radio. but the little moments dawned on me, i saw them in real time: my son getting his braces removed and smiling for me outside the office. my youngest in her very first travel soccer uniform so proud that she is finally like the big kids. my oldest running from her field hockey game to cater a cocktail party for me looking far too old for her 15 years. i am in the sweet spot people. i get it. i know what you were all talking about. i've arrived. 

no more naps. no more diapers. no more whining from the back of the car that so-and-so hit me or i need to pee. they are all old enough to pee before they get in the damn car. and grab a bag of goldfish and a sweatshirt while they are at it in case it's cold after practice and mom's late to pick up (which she is. always). even the poor kid i forgot at carpool, her mom was like,' whatever, i get it. sh*t happens.' even i have finally learned to only carpool with people like me, people who can only get it right as much as we can get it right.

life is good. life is sweet. life sure a sh*t ain't boring but hey, what did i think having all those kids and a cafe? but a girl can be grateful for slowing down just enough, to be present enough to notice: you are in the sweet spot. here's another sweet week ahead.

can you say eggplant rollatini? um, i can. it's slammin'.

can you say eggplant rollatini? um, i can. it's slammin'.

that was just one of the killer items we served upthis weekend. mango & brie quesadillas with homemade tomatillo salsa was another (right). tuscan table below. ten parties. 23 chefs, servers and bartenders bopping all over northern new jersey from leonia to sparta. seriously folks, there is nowhere we won't go and pretty much nothing we won't do to make your event "knock-it-out-of-   the-park" spectacular. 

summer is over. everyone's home from the beach, kids are all back in school (wahooooooo, you have no idea how happy this make me. sorry to all those people who 'just wished for another day!' i didn't and not sure we could be friends so don't introduce yourselves) and with this crazy ridiculously weather all people are thinking is watching college football and booking their last indian summer parties before the winter sets in. yes! yes! yes! we don't blame you one little bit.

between all those parties and launching our new menu this past week it was one rockin' week over here at catchy. our new patio has been PUMPIN'. lots of you smart mommies out there with your bottles of rose toasting the first day of school right along with me (well, i was rose-free as we are involved in a no-sugar september over here and it's NOT been pretty). so keep it coming and make week two even more successful than the last. we will have no objection.

i had a meatball last night that was so freakin' good i almost passed out.

i had a meatball last night that was so freakin' good i almost passed out.

no it wasn't mine. i have to be honest (and immodest), i'm a firm believer that there isn't a meatball this side of the colorado river that holds a candle to my homemade veal & ricotta meatballs. cocky? yes. accurate, i do believe. and now i will eat a heaping serving of humble pie. last night, sitting with great friends and my favorite 50 year old brother sipping frosty cocktails at Redd Wood in YOUNTVILLE, CA (also home to French Laundry and only the most relaxing vibe i have experienced in, oh, EVER), i almost passed out from the sheer fabulousity (yes, that's a word) of a bowl of meatballs and some crusty Thomas Keller bread from Bouchon. it took everything in me to stop at the fourth ball. sheer willpower. i'm regretting it now event as i type. 

they were clearly made that morning, softly assembled with just the right balance of salty parmesan, a dollop of ricotta and most likely some breadcrumbs which i would guess to be direct descendants of those loaves of Bouchon bread. sweet JESUS if i could have smuggled an extra order on the plane home today i would have. oh my god i love my job. love. love. LOVE it. while off on a quick three day trip to Cali to surprise my big brother on his birthday-palooza, i got to eat and drink some of the most ridiculously delicious food and write it off as work. "work." BAH!! suckers. do they know how easy it is to get up and got to work when part of the job description is ordering the chopped salad with mini diced salami & provolone, briney olives & the most delicate of lemon vinaigrettes? oh, my god how all that hard work at a college i hated paid off when i got to use it to open catchy.!! do what you love folks - there is little better in this life. well, except those meatballs. yeah, those were better.

so all this mad-traipsing around greater san francisco, yountville and napa valley all weekend (sans kids, it just had to be said, so you could fully understand how FREAKIN' GOOD my weekend was) helped firm up the already OUTSTANDING vibe we are about to grenade all over you folks next tuesday at catchy. NEW MENU. stop. no i can't stop. NEW OUTDOOR PATIO vibe. you are lying. i don't lie. it's gonna be insane. new tables, new chairs, new umbrellas, lush greenery in new planters with six new salads (including a build your own option, what!?!), a new bowl with three grains and four new sandwich options that will blow your frickin' MINDDDDD. so pick out that bottle of rose, make a date for next week (new menu launches the tuesday after labor day) and get ready to love catchy. even more than you guys already do. 

do you know how excited i am? I AM FREAKIN' OUT!!!!

changes, they areeeee a comin'...

do you know how excited i am? I AM FREAKIN' OUT!!!!

we have some absolutely FABULOUS stuff in store for you and i am like, beside myself with excitement about it. 

have you taken a look at catchy. lately?? no? well peer on over the next time you drive by. our outdoor patio tent was just taken down on thursday and it is making room for brand new outdoor tables and umbrellas outside. a bright cheery new look to match our bright NEW MENU that we will be launching the day after Labor Day!!! no sh*t!! i'm serious! it's just SO freakin' exciting!

we will have new salads (think country field salad, farmer's market salad, sticky this chicken), a whole section of our menu dedicated to bowls (oldies like the "super" quinoa bowl & new ones like our faro/wheatberry/quinoa bowl with loads of tasty add-ins). we will have new sandwiches, wraps & even a flatbread!! we will have "mini" salad options (the mini skinny, the mini baja) and even a create-your-own salad option from a dozen different items - SHUT UP, NO YOU SHUT UP!! 

can you believe it? because i literally cannot. my mind is racing, blown. i can't sleep. well, not just because mind is racing but because it also takes an *ssload of work to deal with so many logistics of all these changes while you are still catering a half dozen parties every week. but my team of aces is behind me in helping us get everything locked and loaded so when you drop those kids off to school the day after labor day, you have a "new" spot to meet up with your girls (and a bottle of wine) & something just a little different than you always order when you pop into catchy. YES!! 

and while we were making all those changes, we decided to add a dozen or so new apps to our catering menu. and with summer winding down, it seems like JUST the right time to plan that end of summer cocktail party in your backyard before the gorgeous summer weather runs out. so call the shop now and book your event! you can even request one of our new menu items for your event!  

oh my vacation, how i did so enjoy thee.

oh my vacation, how i did so enjoy thee. 

i'm telling you, this whole two weeks closed thing has got to be the best gig EVER. i don't know about you folks, but by the time summer had rolled around and my staff had made it through dozens of first communions & graduations, a handful teachers luncheons and an early summer wedding or two, we were all just about ready to run screaming from the country if we could. which we couldn't. because we  have kids. and that would have been sort of douchey. 

so the next best thing we figured out is that closing the shop and recharging our collective batteries so we are ready to give it a whirl once more come august 14th, is the WAY. TO. GO. and so we did. and it was. man, were these 17 days the frickin' bomb.com. you can see from the assorted pics all around, that i made F.U.N. a major priority. 

carnivals and food treks. beach vacations and summer bbqs. we even threw in a 50th birthday celebration in the hamptons (that we catered, it was my brother's, couldn't turn that special guy down) that was one for the ages. toss in a 17th anniversary for me & my honey at marc forgione (yes, all my foodies, it was super-swankadelic) and there wasn't a box i didn't check.

but now we are back and MANNNN, do we have some killer sh*t in store for you all. the next two weeks we will be requesting YOUR INPUT. the menu: SHE IS A CHANGIN'!!! we are adding new items, maybe taking a few away, bringing in "mini" versions of salads & kids items (envision this: the "mini" skinny chicken caesar...yes, when you order it you will be able to just say gimme the mini skinny, i know, i know, i feel cool saying it too). it's all just SO DAMN EXCITING!! the new menu will roll out post labor day just to give you all something to freak out about!! and we want your input on salads, sandwiches, kids items (yes, macaroni & cheese is coming to a catchy. near you, word) so get ready to drop your suggestions in the suggestion box that i will be putting  out this week at the cafe. 

but while my chefs and i kibbutz on this all this week, you can feast on all the tasty regular size items below this week. pop by the shop. order online for delivery. i don't care how it happens, just get yourself back to freshness with our always delicious and locally sourced soups, salads and sandwiches. hot dinners are back and just in time with fall sports beginning tomorrow (hello football and field hockey, welcome to my world - not welcome:/).